Bihar CM Manjhi defends himself on controversy over age, assets

Patna: A day after coming under scanner for alleged divergent figures about his age and assets in affidavits submitted on different occasions, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today stood by details submitted during last year’s general elections.

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“I stand by my age (70 years) and assets (immovable) that I had furnished in affidavit submitted during filing of nominations during general elections last year,” he told reporters in reply to a question.

Manjhi had contested from Gaya (SC) Lok Sabha seat last year and stood third.

“There is nothing wrong about details related to my age and assets,” the chief minister said in reply to a volley of questions by the mediapersons at a function in the state capital before hastily getting into car.

Manjhi had got embroiled in a controversy yesterday with a section of media projecting lacunae about his age and immovable assets in at least three affidavits submitted by him in the past one year.

The chief minister had mentioned his age at about 68 years at one place, while the same stood at 71 years and 70 years in two other affidavits and failed to declare his immovable asset in one of affidavits, while declared the same as five acre land in another document, the media reports said.

The BJP and a section of the ruling JD(U) mounted attack on Manjhi following the report and asked him to come forward to tell the truth.

“The chief minister has caused embarrassment to himself and his government by declaring different age and assets,” former Deputy Chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said and called upon the former to explain the truth.

Bihar unit JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, who had attacked Manjhi on numerous occasions last month exposing turf war between the incumbent chief minister and his predecessor Nitish Kumar said Manjhi showed callousness by failing to report his correct age and assets in official documents.

“It reflects character of a person,” Kumar told reporters.

Asked for reaction, the state unit JD(U) president Bashistha Narayan Singh said he will find out the details before speaking in this regard.